Proxy email server for routing messages

ABSTRACT

In various example embodiments, a system and method for generating a proxy email address for routing messages are presented. An email directed to a user with a proxy email address assigned by the system and with no registered email address is received at a proxy email address. Whether or not the email contains an action message identifier is ascertained. Based on the email containing an action message identifier, a forward email is identified. Text content from the forward email is extracted. A short message based on the extracted text content is generated. At least one communication channel to send the short message is selected based on an engagement level associated with the at least one communication channel. The short message may be caused to be presented at a mobile device associated with the user via the selected communication channel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/212,533, filed Aug. 31, 2015, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to proxy serversand, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to proxy emailserver for routing messages.

BACKGROUND

Currently, many social networking service providers primarily rely onemail as the communication channel to engage with members. As a result,the back end infrastructure (e.g., servers, applications, and databases)of these social network service providers heavily depend on a member'semail address for a variety of purposes including, communication,transactional engagement, identity representation, etc. Therefore,people who do not possess an email address do not have access to theservices of these social network service providers or in other casesvery limited access with limited user experiences. This is especiallytrue for the non-western world where the majority do not have email, butrather primarily use mobile phones as the channel of network connectionand communication. As such, there is a need to provide a full userexperience for people who do not have emails without necessitating acomplete restructuring of the back end infrastructure of a socialnetwork service provider system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate exampleembodiments of the present disclosure and cannot be considered aslimiting its scope.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram depicting a client-server system withinwhich various example embodiments may be deployed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a proxycommunication system, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user interface for a member who initiallyregisters without an email address, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example implementation of thenotification system of FIG. 2, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating another example implementation ofthe notification system of FIG. 2, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method forcommunicating email content to a member without a registered emailaddress, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for assigning aproxy email address to a member who initially registers using a phonenumber, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface that includes a shortmessage, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theform of a computer system within which a set of instructions may beexecuted for causing the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes systems, methods, techniques,instruction sequences, and computing machine program products thatembody illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. In the followingdescription, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide an understanding of variousembodiments of the inventive subject matter. It will be evident,however, to those skilled in the art, that embodiments of the inventivesubject matter may be practiced without these specific details. Ingeneral, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures, andtechniques are not necessarily shown in detail.

In various example embodiments, the features of the present disclosureprovide a technical solution to the technical problem of providingpotential members without an email address a full user experience ofsocial network services, where the back end infrastructure of the socialnetwork service providers primarily depend on a member's email addressas the primary channel for various transactions (e.g., communicationchannel, transactional engagement, identity representation, log-in,sign-in, and the like). Current back end infrastructures depending on amember email to function as intended include, for example, sign-up,log-in, transactional engagement, job application, and the like. Forinstance, current users are required to have an email in order tosign-up as a member of the system. Also, current members are required tohave an email in order to log-in to their member profile. Further,transactional engagements (e.g., a member invites another members toconnect) with members currently heavily depend on email as the primarychannel of notification of these transactional engagements. Moreover, amember is required to have an email in order to apply for a job via ajob portal (e.g., for example, LinkedIn). Therefore, potential memberswho do not have an email address is unable to utilize thefunctionalities requiring an email address. Accordingly, in someembodiments, generating a proxy email address for members who do notpossess an email satisfies the flow dependencies of the back endinfrastructure. In example embodiments, a proxy communication systemprovides the technical benefit of assigning a proxy email address tophone-only members (e.g., members who sign up using a phone number andtherefore do not have or do not use a personal email), thus allowing thephone-only members to have the full services provided by the networkservice providers without necessitating a change in the back endinfrastructure dependencies on member emails. As a result, having aproxy communication system avoids the substantial time, cost, resources,and effort to migrate the back end infrastructure away from being emaildependent in order to accommodate phone-only members.

In various example embodiments, the features of the present disclosureprovide a technical solution to the technical problem of determining acommunication channel with phone-only members to maximize memberengagement with the communication. The proxy communication systemprovides, in some embodiments, the technical benefit of determining achannel of communication to actively engage phone-only members.Phone-only members can access the services provided by the socialnetwork service providers via mobile devices, wearable devices, smartdevices, and the like. Due to the nature of these devices, activeengagement and communication with the users of these devices differ fromsending out emails to engage and communicate with a member viatraditional email. These devices are typically smaller with less spacefor showing text-based messages and they are intimately connected withthe user because their mobile nature allows them to be in constantcontact with the user. Further, with mobile devices, there exist variouschannels to communicate with the user including, push notification,instant messenger (IM), short message services (SMS), and othermessaging applications (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat, and the like). Userinteractions with these types of mobile devices have shifted fromlonger, more lengthy messages to short and quick messages via thesevarious channels. As a result, the proxy communication system can beused to determine which communication channel would maximize activeengagement with phone-only members along with converting an emailmessage, intended for the phone-only member, to a shorter messageappropriate for a mobile device to be sent via the determinedcommunication channel. Thus, the proxy communication system provides thebenefit of a full and coherent user experience with the social networkservice provider, accommodating for the member's end communicationdevice and lack of email address, while maintaining the back endinfrastructure of the social network service provider system.

In various embodiments, systems and methods for generating a proxy emailaddress for routing messages are described. When a member initiallyregisters to access social networking services using a phone number,rather than a traditional email, a proxy communication system 200, partof a social networking system 120, assigns the member a unique proxyemail address and a unique member identifier. Emails generated by thesocial networking system 120 to be sent to the member is received by theproxy communication system 200, identified to be critical (e.g.,important and therefore to be forwarded), and if important the textualcontent of the email is extracted and a short message is generated fromthe email. Further, a communication channel is selected to send theshort message to the member's mobile device based on member activity.The short message is then presented at the mobile device associated withthe member via the selected communication channel.

As shown in FIG. 1, the social networking system 120 is generally basedon a three-tiered architecture, consisting of a front-end layer,application logic layer, and data layer. As is understood by skilledartisans in the relevant computer and Internet-related arts, each moduleor engine shown in FIG. 1 represents a set of executable softwareinstructions and the corresponding hardware (e.g., memory and processor)for executing the instructions. To avoid obscuring the inventive subjectmatter with unnecessary detail, various functional modules and enginesthat are not germane to conveying an understanding of the inventivesubject matter have been omitted from FIG. 1. However, a skilled artisanwill readily recognize that various additional functional modules andengines may be used with a social networking system, such as thatillustrated in FIG. 1, to facilitate additional functionality that isnot specifically described herein. Furthermore, the various functionalmodules and engines depicted in FIG. 1 may reside on a single servercomputer, or may be distributed across several server computers invarious arrangements. Moreover, although depicted in FIG. 1 as athree-tiered architecture, the inventive subject matter is by no meanslimited to such an architecture.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front end layer consists of a user interfacemodule(s) (e.g., a web server) 122, which receives requests from variousclient-computing devices including one or more client device(s) 150, andcommunicates appropriate responses to the requesting device. Forexample, the user interface module(s) 122 may receive requests in theform of Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) requests, or otherweb-based, Application Programming Interface (API) requests. The clientdevice(s) 150 may be executing conventional web browser applicationsand/or applications (also referred to as “apps”) that have beendeveloped for a specific platform to include any of a wide variety ofmobile computing devices and mobile-specific operating systems (e.g.,iOS™, Android™, Windows® Phone). For example, client device(s) 150 maybe executing client application(s) 152. The client application(s) 152may provide functionality to present information to the user andcommunicate via the network 140 to exchange information with the socialnetworking system 120. Each of the client devices 150 may comprise acomputing device that includes at least a display and communicationcapabilities with the network 140 to access the social networking system120. The client devices 150 may comprise, but are not limited to, remotedevices, work stations, computers, general purpose computers, Internetappliances, hand-held devices, wireless devices, portable devices,wearable computers, cellular or mobile phones, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), smart phones, tablets, ultrabooks, netbooks, laptops,desktops, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmableconsumer electronics, game consoles, set-top boxes, network PCs,mini-computers, and the like. One or more users 160 may be a person, amachine, or other means of interacting with the client device(s) 150.The user(s) 160 may interact with the social networking system 120 viathe client device(s) 150. The user(s) 160 may not be part of thenetworked environment, but may be associated with client device(s) 150.

As shown in FIG. 1, the data layer includes several databases, includinga database 128 for storing data for various entities of the socialgraph, including member profiles, company profiles, educationalinstitution profiles, as well as information concerning various onlineor offline groups. Of course, with various alternative embodiments, anynumber of other entities might be included in the social graph, and assuch, various other databases may be used to store data correspondingwith other entities.

Consistent with some embodiments, when a person initially registers tobecome a member of the social networking service, the person will beprompted to provide some personal information, such as his or her name,age (e.g., birth date), gender, interests, contact information, hometown, address, the names of the member's spouse and/or family members,educational background (e.g., schools, majors, etc.), current job title,job description, industry, employment history, skills, professionalorganizations, interests, and so on. This information is stored, forexample, as profile data in the database 128.

Once registered, a member may invite other members, or be invited byother members, to connect via the social networking service. A“connection” may specify a bi-lateral agreement by the members, suchthat both members acknowledge the establishment of the connection.Similarly, with some embodiments, a member may elect to “follow” anothermember. In contrast to establishing a connection, the concept of“following” another member typically is a unilateral operation, and atleast with some embodiments, does not require acknowledgement orapproval by the member that is being followed. When one member connectswith or follows another member, the member who is connected to orfollowing the other member may receive messages or updates (e.g.,content items) in his or her personalized content stream about variousactivities undertaken by the other member. More specifically, themessages or updates presented in the content stream may be authoredand/or published or shared by the other member, or may be automaticallygenerated based on some activity or event involving the other member. Inaddition to following another member, a member may elect to follow acompany, a topic, a conversation, a web page, or some other entity orobject, which may or may not be included in the social graph maintainedby the social networking system. With some embodiments, because thecontent selection algorithm selects content relating to or associatedwith the particular entities that a member is connected with or isfollowing, as a member connects with and/or follows other entities, theuniverse of available content items for presentation to the member inhis or her content stream increases.

As members interact with various applications, content, and userinterfaces of the social networking system 120, information relating tothe member's activity and behavior may be stored in a database, such asthe database 132.

The social networking system 120 may provide a broad range of otherapplications and services that allow members the opportunity to shareand receive information, often customized to the interests of themember. For example, with some embodiments, the social networking system120 may include a photo sharing application that allows members toupload and share photos with other members. With some embodiments,members of the social networking system 120 may be able to self-organizeinto groups, or interest groups, organized around a subject matter ortopic of interest. With some embodiments, members may subscribe to orjoin groups affiliated with one or more companies. For instance, withsome embodiments, members of the social network service may indicate anaffiliation with a company at which they are employed, such that newsand events pertaining to the company are automatically communicated tothe members in their personalized activity or content streams. With someembodiments, members may be allowed to subscribe to receive informationconcerning companies other than the company with which they areemployed. Membership in a group, a subscription or followingrelationship with a company or group, as well as an employmentrelationship with a company, are all examples of different types ofrelationships that may exist between different entities, as defined bythe social graph and modeled with social graph data of the database 130.

The application logic layer includes various application servermodule(s) 124, which, in conjunction with the user interface module(s)122, generates various user interfaces with data retrieved from variousdata sources or data services in the data layer. With some embodiments,individual application server modules 124 are used to implement thefunctionality associated with various applications, services andfeatures of the social networking system 120. For instance, a messagingapplication, such as an email application, an instant messagingapplication, or some hybrid or variation of the two, may be implementedwith one or more application server modules 124. A photo sharingapplication may be implemented with one or more application servermodules 124. Similarly, a search engine enabling users to search for andbrowse member profiles may be implemented with one or more applicationserver modules 124. Of course, other applications and services may beseparately embodied in their own application server modules 124. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, social networking system 120 may include a proxycommunication system 200, which is described in more detail below.

Additionally, a third party application(s) 148, executing on a thirdparty server(s) 146, is shown as being communicatively coupled to thesocial networking system 120 and the client device(s) 150. The thirdparty server(s) 146 may support one or more features or functions on awebsite hosted by the third party.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components provided within theproxy communication system 200, according to some example embodiments.The proxy communication 200 includes a communication module 210, a datamodule 220, a conversion module 230, an analysis module 240, and apresentation module 250. All, or some, of the modules are configured tocommunicate with each other, for example, via a network coupling, sharedmemory, a bus, a switch, and the like. It will be appreciated that eachmodule may be implemented as a single module, combined into othermodules, or further subdivided into multiple modules. Any one or more ofthe modules described herein may be implemented using hardware (e.g., aprocessor of a machine) or a combination of hardware and software. Othermodules not pertinent to example embodiments may also be included, butare not shown.

The communication module 210 is configured to perform variouscommunication functions to facilitate the functionality describedherein. For example, the communication module 210 may communicate withthe social networking system 120 via the network 140 using a wired orwireless connection. The communication module 210 may also providevarious web services functions such as retrieving information from thethird party servers 146 and the social networking system 120. In thisway, the communication module 220 facilitates the communication betweenthe proxy communication system 200 with the client devices 150 and thethird party servers 146 via the network 140. Information retrieved bythe communication module 210 may include profile data corresponding tothe user 160 and other members of the social network service from thesocial networking system 120.

The data module 220 is configured to provide various data functionalitysuch as exchanging information with databases or servers. For example,data module 220 may (access email templates, access member data fromvarious databases including member activity and behavior data 132,social graph data 130, and profile data 138, generates and updates theshared table to include member ID, phone number, and proxy email addressassociated with the member. Further, the data module 220 may alsoextract attributes and/or characteristics from the profile data ofmember profiles. The data module 220 also stores template identifiersassociated with email at databases associated with the social networkingsystem 120, such as database 132, 130, 128, and other third partyservers, the template identifiers flagging portions of text in the emailto be associated with one or more category, the categories includingemail subject matter, summary, actionable item, key words, email body,and the like. Similarly, the data module 220 may access social graphdata, member activity and behavior data from respective databases 130and 132. In some example embodiments, the data module 220 may exchangeinformation with third party servers 146, client devices 150, and othersources of information.

The conversion module 230 is configured to provide various conversionfunctionality such as extracting email content, generating hyperlinks,and generating short messages from the extracted email content andhyperlinks, where the links are hyperlinks are reference to data thatcan be directly followed either by clicking or by hovering over text,selectable interface, or icon associated with the links. In anembodiment, the conversion module 230 identifies the templateidentifiers associated with the email content and extracts the text(e.g., words, phrases, sentences) associated with each templateidentifiers. These template identifiers include email subjectidentifier, summary identifier, actionable item identifier, key wordidentifier, and the like. Based on the template identifiers, theconversion module 230 extract the email content and generate a shortmessage from the email content. In some embodiments, the short messageincludes a selectable user interface with a hyperlink in order to renderthe dedicated content of the actionable item in a mobile application orweb page. Details of the generation of a short message from an email arefurther described in association with FIGS. 4 and 5 below.

The analysis module 240 is configured to determine a communicationchannel to deliver the generated short message generated by theconversion module 230. The analysis module 240 analysis the memberactivity data and behavior data to determine which communication channelthe member predominantly actively engages (e.g., reads the message andindicates the member has read by clicking a hyperlink appended to themessage) with the most. Various communication channels includetext-messaging channels (e.g., SMS messages, MMS, EMS, IM, and soforth), other messaging applications (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat, and thelike), push notification or other similar types of notification. In someembodiments, the level of active engagement is determined by thepercentage in which the member actively engages with the message sentthrough a specific communication channel out of all the messages sentthrough that specific communication channel.

In various implementations, the presentation module 250 presents orcauses presentation of information (e.g., visually displayinginformation on a screen, acoustic output, haptic feedback).Interactively presenting information is intended to include the exchangeof information between a particular device and the user of that device.In an example, the presentation module 250 presents short messagesgenerated by the proxy communication system to the client device 150. Inother embodiments, the presentation module 250 interacts with thirdparty servers 146 and third party applications 148 to cause thegenerated short message to be presented to the client device 150. Forexample, short messages to be presented via third party servers includethird party applications (e.g., such as WhatsApp, SMS, and the like),where third party servers associated with WhatsApp causes presentationof the short message to the client device 150. The user of the clientdevice 150 may provide input to interact with a user interface in manypossible manners such as alphanumeric, point based (e.g., cursor),tactile, or other input (e.g., touch screen, tactile sensor, lightsensor, infrared sensor, biometric sensor, microphone, gyroscope,accelerometer, or other sensors), and the like. It will be appreciatedthat the presentation module 250 provides many other user interfaces tofacilitate functionality described herein. The presentation module 250causes presentation of the short message generated by the conversionmodule 230 using the communication channel selected by the analysismodule 240. Further, it will be appreciated that “presenting” as usedherein is intended to include communicating information or instructionsto a particular device that is operable to perform presentation based onthe communicated information or instructions via the communicationmodule 210, data module 220, conversion module 230, and analysis module240.

FIG. 3 depicts an example device 300 (e.g., smart phone) displaying anexample user interface 310 that includes interactive user interfaceelements such as input fields and other interface elements, according tosome example embodiments. The user interface 310 allows a potentialmember to initially register and become a member of the socialnetworking service, where the member provides a phone number, ratherthan an email, as a point of contact. In various example embodiments,the presentation module 250 causes presentation of the user interface310 to potential members who desires to register to become a member ofthe social networking service. In an example embodiment, a potentialmember can initially register to become a member of the socialnetworking service by providing personal information in input fields320, 330, 340, 350, and selecting interface element 360 to join usingthe information provided in the input fields. In a specific example,input field 320 includes the first name Eric, input field 330 includesthe last name Smith, input field 340 includes a phone number, and inputfield 350 includes a password associated with the potential member EricSmith. In response to the potential member providing information to theinput fields 320, 330, 340, 350 and selecting interface element 360, thesocial networking system 120 assigns a member identifier to the memberEric Smith. The proxy communication system 200 assigns a proxy emailaddress to the member Eric Smith. A proxy email address is assigned to amember that does not have a registered email address as the point ofcommunication. In some embodiments, the proxy email address is notmember facing (e.g., there is no email inbox that the member beingassigned the proxy email address could check emails being sent to theirproxy email address. Rather, the member depends on the proxycommunication system 200 to forward the emails being sent to the proxyemail address to selected communication channels such as SMS). The proxyemail address is utilized in the back end server system as an internaltoken to be associated with a member to satisfy algorithm flowdependencies of the system.

Referring back to FIG. 3, as the member selects interface element 360,the data module 220 inputs the new member information to an existingshared table that includes a mapping of the member identifier to thespecific member, proxy email, and phone number. The data module 220stores the shared table with the new member information in database 128.In some example embodiments, the proxy email address is not an actualemail address where the member can access an inbox and check the emailbeing sent to the proxy email address. Alternatively, a proxy emailaddress can be an actual email address where members can access allemails sent to the proxy email address. In these example embodiments,the user interface elements provide potential members a means toinitially register to a social networking service through a third-partyapplication running on a mobile device (e.g., a social network serviceapp running on a smart phone of the user), or a mobile web application,and the like. To this end, assigning a proxy email address to a memberthat does not have a personal email address allows phone-only members toregister and access services provided by the social networking serviceproviders while maintaining the back end infrastructure of the emaildependencies of the social networking system. Emails generated by thesocial networking system to engage and communicate with members aresubsequently intercepted by the proxy communication system 200, filteredto identify critical messages that are converted to a shorter message(e.g., more appropriate for presentation at a mobile device whilemaintain the important content of the original email) and subsequentlysend to a communication channel determined to be most engaging to thespecific member. In example embodiments, the communication channel canbe in example form of push notification, instant messenger (IM), shortmessage services (SMS) messages, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS),Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS), or other similar types ofnotifications and messaging systems. In some example embodiments, thecommunication channel is an in-app notification such as a notificationprovided via a third-party application running on a mobile device (e.g.,a social network service app running on a smart phone of the user).Email conversion to short message form, the short message subsequentlybeing presented to a member device is described in further detail inassociation with FIG. 4 below.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example implementation of theproxy communication system 200. In an example embodiment, the proxycommunication system 200 receives email 410 generated by various modulesand servers of the social networking system 120 to be sent to a specificmember. The email 410 can include, for example, routine transactionengagement messages (e.g., other members sending the specific member aninvite to connect, an invitation to the specific member to endorse othermembers, or job application status update applied via the socialnetworking system).

In some example embodiments, the email 410 can include an actionidentifier 420 indicating that the email contains important informationfor the member and therefore should be passed along to the member. Insome examples, the action identifier 420 is included in the email basedon the presence of actionable items included in the content of theemail. Actionable items include information that request specificactions from the user. For instance, if the email content includessuggesting a member to endorse a colleague connected to the member viaLinkedIn, then the actionable item is to request a member action ofendorsing. In this example, the email is flagged with an actionidentifier based on the actionable item. In other examples, the actionidentifier 420 is included in the email based on the status (e.g., newmembers, frequent members, infrequent members, and the like) of themember in the online social network. The experience that members seekfrom online social network differs depending on their status andtherefore seek specific types of communication from the online socialnetwork providers depending on their status. In an example, a new memberwould seek to build their network and online profile and thereforesending messages suggesting other members to connect with would lead toa better new user experience than suggesting endorsements for othermembers in the network. In this example, if the member is a newlyregistered member, then emails associated with building the membernetwork and member profile are flagged with an action identifier.

In various embodiments, the social networking system 120 generate theemail 410 based on email templates with predefined template identifiers430 specifying the content added to each section in the email template.These email templates are stored in various databases including memberdata 132, 130, and 128, and third party servers 146. The layout of theemail templates can include sections being specified with templateidentifiers 430 such as key word identifier, summary identifier, headingidentifier, email subject identifier, actionable item identifier (e.g.,item requesting specific actions from the user such as the act ofendorsing a friend), hyperlink identifier, and the like. In an example,in an email, certain words are flagged by key word identifiers toindicate important words. Another section of the email is flagged withthe summary identifier to indicate a brief statement regarding thepurpose of the email. Other sections are flagged with the actionableitem identifier to indicate an action that is requested from the user.In a specific example, an actionable item identifier can be associatedwith the sentence: “You have two endorsements from your connectionShawn! Would you like to add the two endorsements to your profile?”Other texts are also included in this email such as the types ofendorsements received and information about the connection Shawn. Insome embodiments, the same text (e.g., words, phrases, or sentences) canbe flagged with multiple template identifiers. Referring back to theprevious actionable item identifier example, the sentence “You have twonew endorsements from your connection Shawn!” can also be flagged withthe summary identifier in addition to the actionable item identifier,where the purpose of the email is to inform the user that they have twonew endorsements.

In various embodiments, the conversion module 230 receives the email 410and determines an action identifier associated with the email 410. Next,the conversion module 230 determines the length of the email. Emailsthat are determined to be longer than a predetermined threshold continueto be converted to short message form by the conversion module 230.

In various embodiments, the conversion module 230 generates a shortmessage based on the received email. The generated short message aims topreserve the main content of the email while providing enough content tothe member to induce further interactions. The conversion module 230generates a short message by first extracting content from the forwardemails (e.g., emails identified to contain the action identifier 420) inorder to preserve the important content of the email. In someembodiment, emails that do not possess an action identifier are notconverted to short message form. In yet other embodiments, all emailsare converted to the short message form. In order to extract emailcontent 440, the conversion module 230 detects the template identifiers430 from the email 410 and extracts the plain text associated with thetemplate identifiers including email subject identifier, summaryidentifier, actionable item identifier, key word identifier, and thelike. The operations of extracting content from an email and convertingthe email into a short message for delivery effectively proxies emailinto additional commination channels. As a result, the operations ofextracting and converting enhances the communication capabilities of thesocial networking system.

In various embodiments, the conversion module 230 generates a hyperlink450 for each associated actionable item. The hyperlink can be in exampleform of a uniform resource identifier (URI) or uniform resource locator(URL) that links to a specific location within a mobile application(e.g., deep linking consisting of using a URI that links to a specificlocation within a mobile application) or a hyperlink that links to aspecific piece of web content on a website. Clicking on a hyperlinkinitiates a launch of the associated mobile application or web page (ifthe application is not installed on the mobile device) that isresponsible for rendering the dedicated content of the actionable item.In a specific example shown in FIG. 8, the selectable user interface 830has an associated hyperlink where selecting on the interface 830launches the application to allow the user to endorse the connection SamDraper. From the identified template identifiers 430, the conversionmodule 230 creates a hyperlink where the user selecting on a dedicateduser interface would initiate a launch to a mobile application to renderthe content of the actionable item. In some embodiments, the userinterface would have an associated keyword (based on the key wordidentifier) associated with the actionable item, allowing the user toknow what the actionable item entails. The hyperlink can be associatedwith various icons where selecting the icon will launch a window torender the content associated with the hyperlink. Hyperlinks associatedwith an actionable item are described in further detail in associationwith FIGS. 8 and 9 below.

In various embodiments, the conversion module 230 generates the shortmessage 460 using the extracted email content 440. In some embodiments,the short message includes the extracted email content 440 and thegenerated hyperlink 450. The conversion module 230 determines the lengthof the email 410 based on a word count. If the length of the email 410is determined to be longer than a threshold (word count threshold), thenthe conversion module 230 initiates the conversion of the email 410 togenerating a short message 460 from the long email 410. For example, athreshold can be pre-set to be fifteen words due to limitations ofmobile device screen sizes. Any email 410 determined to be longer thanthe threshold (fifteen words) are converted to the short message form.The short message is formed from any combination of the extracted emailcontent 440. In some embodiments, the short message is formed from acombination of extracted email content 440 based on the text associatedwith the email subject identifier and the summary identifier. In otherembodiments, the short message is formed from a combination of extractedemail content 440 based on the text associated with the email subjectidentifier and actionable item identifier. In yet other embodiments, theshort message is formed using a short message template that includecertain keywords extracted from the key word identifier, the shortmessage template consisting of pre-defined template identifiers atcertain locations to be combined in order to form a short message.

In various embodiments, the analysis module 240 determine acommunication channel 470 to deliver the generated short message 460 tothe client device 150. When selecting an alternative channel fordelivering the short message (e.g., “proxied” message), the analysismodule 240 will leverage propensity models that analyze a user'sbehavior and activity on the social platform. In an example, theanalysis module analyzes behavior information in determine whether auser is more likely interact with a first communication channel versus asecond communication channel (e.g., is the user more likely to open apush notification than an instant message). The analysis module 240determines a communication channel to best contact the member usingmember activity data and behavior data accessed by the data module 220.Member activity data and behavior data can also be accessed by the datamodule 220 from third party servers 146. Various communication channelsinclude text-messaging channels (e.g., SMS messages, MMS, EMS, IM, andso forth), other messaging applications (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat, and thelike), push notification or other similar types of notification. Inexample embodiments, the analysis module 240 selects a communicationchannel by determining which communication channel the member activelyengages (e.g., reads the message and indicates the member has read byclicking a hyperlink appended to the message) with the most based onpast member profile data. The analysis module 240 determines thepercentage in which the member actively engages with short messagesbeing sent through each communication channel and selects thecommunication channel with the highest percentage of active engagement.For example, the analysis module 240 determines that the member onlyactively engages with push notifications for one percent of the time andthe member has actively engaged with SMS forty percent of the time(e.g., the user actively engages with the message four times out of tentimes that the short message is sent via SMS). In this example, theanalysis module 240 selects the SMS communication channel to send thegenerated short message 460.

In other embodiments, the analysis module 240 continuously monitors thelevel of active engagement. If the percentage of active engagement fallsbelow a threshold, the analysis module 240 selects another communicationchannel to send the short message. For example, continuing with the lastexample, if the percentage of active engagement for the SMScommunication channel falls from forty percent down to five percent(with a threshold of ten percent), then the analysis module 240 selectsa different channel (second channel of communication). In other words,the percentage of active engagement fails to transgress the threshold often percent, therefore a different channel of communication is selectedto send current and subsequent messages. The level of active engagementmay fall significant due to the user choosing to block all communicationthrough that specific channel. For example, a member finds that pushnotifications are noisy and interruptive and therefore chooses to blockall push notifications. Optionally, the analysis module 240 may select achannel with no member data (i.e., no or little information about userengagement with a particular channel) in order to collect data points,where the known levels of active engagement for their respectivecommunication channels are below the threshold. For example, continuingwith the previous example, where the level of active engagement of theSMS communication channel falls to five percent, and the only other datathe data module 220 has is the one percent engagement via pushnotification, then the analysis module 240 may select a differentcommunication channel such as other messaging applications (e.g.,WhatsApp). The different communication channel (e.g., WhatsApp) willhave an active engagement percentage that is higher than the firstcommunication channel (e.g., SMS). After the analysis module 240 selectsthe communication channel 470, the presentation module 250 causes thegenerated short message 460 to be presented to the client device 150 viathe selection communication channel 470. In other embodiments, thepresentation module 250 interacts with third party servers 146 and thirdparty applications 148 to cause the generated short message to bepresented to the client device 150. For example, short messages to bepresented via third party servers include third party applications(e.g., such as WhatsApp, SMS, and the like), where third party serversassociated with WhatsApp causes presentation of the short message to theclient device 150.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example implementation of theproxy communication system 200. In an example embodiment, a memberwithout an email address applies to a job from the client device 150,via the LinkedIn job portal 510. It is appreciated that LinkedIn jobportal 510 can be representative of any sort of job portal allowingusers to apply for jobs and not specific to a specific portal. Since anexternal job source 520 (e.g., companies seeking a candidate for aspecific job) requires an email address for each candidate that applies,the proxy communication system 200 provides the external job source 520a proxy email address associated with the member via the email server530. In example embodiments, the external job source 520 receives theproxy email address associated with the candidate via the LinkedIn jobportal 510. Email communications directed to the candidate from theexternal job source 520 (i.e., via the proxy email address) are receivedby email server 530. The conversion module 230 access the email server530 to extract the email content, generate a hyperlink, generate a shortmessage of the email. The hyperlink can include a link to the fullcontent of the email sent by the external job source 520. The steps ofextracting the email content, generating a hyperlink, and generating theshort message has been fully described in association with FIG. 4 above.The analysis module 240 determines the communication channel to bestsend to the user and the presentation module 250 presents the shortmessage to client device 150. The steps of determining the communicationchannel and presenting the short message has been fully described inassociation with FIG. 4 above.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method 600 forcommunicating email content to a member without a registered emailaddress, according to example embodiments. The operations of the method600 may be performed by components of the proxy communication system200. At operation 610, the conversion module 230 receives, at a proxyemail address, an email directed to a user with a proxy email addressassigned by the system and with no registered email address. The proxyemail address is assigned by the system for a user, where the user hadregistered to become a member of a social network using a phone numberand no email address. A proxy email address is an email assigned by theproxy communication system to a user, where the user has not added aregistered email address to their member profile. A registered emailaddress identifies an email box, which email messages are to bedelivered to the member, where the email box is located at other thirdparty servers 146, outside the social networking system 120. An assignedproxy email address on the other hand is an email box located internallywithin the social networking system 120.

At operation 620, the conversion module 230 based on the emailcontaining an action message identifier, identifies the email as aforward email. First, the conversion module 230 ascertains whether ornot the email contains an action message identifier. As fully describedabove in association with FIG. 4, the email includes an action messageidentifier flagging the email as important and therefore should be sentto the user. As described above, forward emails are flagged asimportant, therefore to be forwarded, externally by the system thatgenerates the associated proxy emails within the social networkingsystem. In other embodiments, the conversion module 230 identifies anemail as important based on the email including predefined templateidentifiers, such as actionable identifiers, summary identifiers, keyword identifiers, and the like. At operation 630, the conversion module230 extract text content from the forward email. At operation 640, theconversion module 230 generates a short message based on the extractedtext content, as described fully above in association with FIG. 4. Atoperation 650, the analysis module 240 selects at least onecommunication channel to send the short message based on an engagementlevel associated with the at least one communication channel. Theengagement level is determined from previous interactions by the userwith the respective communication channel. These communication channelsinclude text-messaging channels (e.g., SMS messages, MMS, EMS, IM, andso forth), other messaging applications (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat, and thelike), push notification or other similar types of notification. Thecommunication channel is chosen based on having the highest level ofmember engagement (e.g., the member reads the message and activelyengages with the short message by clicking a link associated with themessage). At operation 660, the presentation module 250 causespresentation of the short message at a mobile device associated with theuser via the selected communication channel. For example, a user ispresented with a short message via the LinkedIn application on a mobiledevice. Short messages to be presented via third party servers mayinclude third party applications (e.g., such as WhatsApp, SMS, and thelike), where third party servers associated with WhatsApp causespresentation of the short message to the client device 150. In otherembodiments, the presentation module 250 interacts with third partyservers 146 and third party applications 148 to cause the generatedshort message to be presented to the client device 150. In anotherembodiment, where the user does not interact with the current messagebeing sent, after a predetermined period of time has elapse, a differentchannel of communication may be used to send the same message.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method 700 forassigning a proxy email address to a member who initially registersusing a phone number, according to example embodiments. The operationsof the method 700 may be performed by components of the proxycommunication system 200. At operation 710, the proxy communicationsystem 200 receives a request to initially register using a phonenumber. The request is associated with a potential member requesting toinitially register to become a member of the social networking serviceby providing personal information such as a phone number in order createa member profile. At operation 720, the proxy communication system 200assigns a proxy email address to a member associated with the phonenumber. The proxy email address satisfies the infrastructure decenciesof the social networking system 120 on having an email associated witheach member. In this way, assigning a proxy email address to a memberthat does not have an email address allows the member to take fulladvantage of the functionalities of the social networking system 120 andat the same time, not requiring a complete infrastructure change of thesocial networking system 120. Additionally, the proxy communicationsystem 200 also assigns a member identifier to the member.

FIG. 8 depicts an example device 800 (e.g., smart phone) displaying anexample user interface 810 that includes a short message 820, accordingto some example embodiments. In various example embodiments, thepresentation module 250 causes presentation of the short message 820 tothe user. For instance, the presentation module 250 communicates, to thedevice 800, instructions to present the short message 820. In someinstances, the instructions include message content, generated by theconversion module 230, via the communication channel determined by theanalysis module 240, to be presented to the member. In exampleembodiments, the short message 820 comprises a text message being sentthrough text messaging channels such as SMS messages, MMS, EMS, and soforth. In other example embodiments, the short message 820 is sent usinga push notification or another similar type of notification. In anexample, the short message 820 is presented to the member in the form ofa push notification based on the determination by the analysis module240 that push notification maximizes user interaction. In furtherexample embodiments, the short message 820 comprises interactive userinterface elements such as user interface elements 830 and 840. In theseexample embodiments, the user interface elements 830 and 840 provide theuser an option to make a selection (e.g., through an SMS system, mobileapplication, web page, and so forth). The user interface elements 830and 840 have hyperlinks associated with the elements. When a memberselects the inter face elements, the associated hyperlink initiates alaunch of the associated mobile application or web page (if theapplication is not installed on the mobile device) that is responsiblefor rendering the dedicated content of the actionable item. Forinstance, the actionable item associated with interface elements 830 isto endorse the connection Sam Draper. In this example, when the memberclicks on interface elements 830, the associated hyperlink launches themobile application to render the content related to endorsing theconnection Sam Draper, further discussed in association with FIG. 9below.

FIG. 9 depicts an example device 900 (e.g., a smart phone) displaying anexample user interface 910 that includes an interface element 920, andactionable items 930, 940, 950, and 960, according to some exampleembodiments. The user interface 910 is launched through a mobileapplication, in response to the member selecting the user interface 830,which has a hyperlink to launch the actionable items associated withendorsing the connection Sam Draper. In some example, user interface 910was available to the member in the original email content but was notidentified as essential to be part of the short message 820. The membercan endorse by selecting actionable items 930, 940, 950, or 960 toendorse the associated skills or expertise of the Sam Draper. Further,the member can also view the other thirty-six members of the onlinesocial network who have endorsed Sam Draper for the presented skillsets.

Modules, Components, and Logic

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 1000,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.Specifically, FIG. 10 shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine1000 in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions1024 (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, orother executable code) for causing the machine 1000 to perform any oneor more of the methodologies, associated with the service providersystem 200, discussed herein may be executed. In alternativeembodiments, the machine 1000 operates as a standalone device or may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine 1000 may operate in the capacity of a servermachine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, oras a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) networkenvironment. The machine 1000 may be a server computer, a clientcomputer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptopcomputer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant(PDA), a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a web appliance, a networkrouter, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting the instructions 1024, sequentially or otherwise, that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. Any of these machines can executethe operations associated with the service provider system 200. Further,while only a single machine 1000 is illustrated, the term “machine”shall also be taken to include a collection of machines 1000 thatindividually or jointly execute the instructions 1024 to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The machine 1000 includes a processor 1002 (e.g., a central processingunit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), aradio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), or any suitable combinationthereof), a main memory 1004, and a static memory 1006, which areconfigured to communicate with each other via a bus 1008. The machine1000 may further include a video display 1010 (e.g., a plasma displaypanel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The machine1000 may also include an alphanumeric input device 1012 (e.g., akeyboard), a cursor control device 1014 (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, atrackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instrument), astorage unit 1016, a signal generation device 1018 (e.g., a speaker),and a network interface device 1020.

The storage unit 1016 includes a machine-readable medium 1022 on whichis stored the instructions 1024 embodying any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 1024 mayalso reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory1004, within the static memory 1006, within the processor 1002 (e.g.,within the processor's cache memory), or all three, during executionthereof by the machine 1000. Accordingly, the main memory 1004, staticmemory 1006 and the processor 1002 may be considered as machine-readablemedia 1022. The instructions 1024 may be transmitted or received over anetwork 1026 via the network interface device 1020.

In some example embodiments, the machine 1000 may be a portablecomputing device, such as a smart phone or tablet computer, and have oneor more additional input components 1030 (e.g., sensors or gauges).Examples of such input components 1030 include an image input component(e.g., one or more cameras, an audio input component (e.g., one or moremicrophones), a direction input component (e.g., a compass), a locationinput component (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver), anorientation component (e.g., a gyroscope), a motion detection component(e.g., one or more accelerometers), an altitude detection component(e.g., an altimeter), and a gas detection component (e.g., a gassensor). Inputs harvested by any one or more of these input componentsmay be accessible and available for use by any of the modules describedherein.

As used herein, the term “memory” refers to a machine-readable medium1022 able to store data temporarily or permanently and may be taken toinclude, but not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, and cache memory. While themachine-readable medium 1022 is shown in an example embodiment to be asingle medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken toinclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to storeinstructions 1024. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also betaken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that iscapable of storing instructions (e.g., instruction 1024) for executionby a machine (e.g., machine 1000), such that the instructions, whenexecuted by one or more processors of the machine 1000 (e.g., processor1002), cause the machine 1000 to perform any one or more of themethodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium”refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based”storage systems or storage networks that include multiple storageapparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium” shallaccordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, one or more datarepositories in the form of a solid-state memory, an optical medium, amagnetic medium, or any suitable combination thereof. The term“machine-readable medium” specifically excludes non-statutory signalsper se.

Furthermore, the machine-readable medium 1022 is non-transitory in thatit does not embody a propagating signal. However, labeling themachine-readable medium 1022 as “non-transitory” should not be construedto mean that the medium is incapable of movement; the medium should beconsidered as being transportable from one physical location to another.Additionally, since the machine-readable medium 1022 is tangible, themedium may be considered to be a machine-readable device.

The instructions 1024 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 1026 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 1020 and utilizing any one of a number of well-knowntransfer protocols (e.g., hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)). Examplesof communication networks include a local area network (LAN), a widearea network (WAN), the Internet, mobile telephone networks (e.g. 3GPP,4G LTE, 3GPP2, GSM, UMTS/HSPA, WiMAX, and others defined by variousstandard setting organizations), plain old telephone service (POTS)networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., WiFi and BlueToothnetworks). The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include anyintangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carryinginstructions 1024 for execution by the machine 1000, and includesdigital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium tofacilitate communication of such software.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium 1022or in a transmission signal) or hardware modules. A “hardware module” isa tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various exampleembodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computersystem, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one ormore hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a groupof processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application orapplication portion) as a hardware module that operates to performcertain operations as described herein.

In some embodiments, a hardware module may be implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware module may include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module may be a special-purpose processor, such as afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC. A hardware module mayalso include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarilyconfigured by software to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module may include software encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor. It will beappreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the phrase “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. As used herein,“hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Consideringembodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g.,programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured orinstantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardwaremodule comprises a general-purpose processor configured by software tobecome a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g.,comprising different hardware modules) at different times. Software mayaccordingly configure a processor 1002, for example, to constitute aparticular hardware module at one instance of time and to constitute adifferent hardware module at a different instance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiplehardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achievedthrough signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses)between or among two or more of the hardware modules. In embodiments inwhich multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated atdifferent times, communications between such hardware modules may beachieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of informationin memory structures to which the multiple hardware modules have access.For example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors 1002 that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors 1002 may constitute processor-implementedmodules that operate to perform one or more operations or functionsdescribed herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented module” refersto a hardware module implemented using one or more processors 1002.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a processor 1002 being an example ofhardware. For example, at least some of the operations of a method maybe performed by one or more processors 1002 or processor-implementedmodules. Moreover, the one or more processors 1002 may also operate tosupport performance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing”environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, atleast some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers(as examples of machines 1000 including processors 1002), with theseoperations being accessible via the network 1026 (e.g., the Internet)and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an application programinterface (API)).

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors 1002, not only residing within a singlemachine 1000, but deployed across a number of machines 1000. In someexample embodiments, the one or more processors 1002 orprocessor-implemented modules may be located in a single geographiclocation (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or aserver farm). In other example embodiments, the one or more processors1002 or processor-implemented modules may be distributed across a numberof geographic locations.

Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, various modificationsand changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Such embodimentsof the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individuallyor collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience andwithout intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application toany single disclosure or inventive concept if more than one is, in fact,disclosed.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed.Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive orexclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be provided forresources, operations, or structures described herein as a singleinstance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources,operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary,and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specificillustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality areenvisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presentedas separate resources in the example configurations may be implementedas a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures andfunctionality presented as a single resource may be implemented asseparate resources. These and other variations, modifications,additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of thepresent disclosure as represented by the appended claims. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a processor, and a memory including instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive, at a proxy email address, an email directed to a user with a proxy email address assigned by the system and with no registered email address; ascertain whether or not the email contains an action message identifier; based on the email containing an action message identifier, identify the email as a forward email; extract text content from the forward email; generate a short message based on the extracted text content; select at least one communication channel to send the short message based on an engagement level associated with the at least one communication channel; and cause presentation of the short message at a mobile device associated with the user via the selected at least one communication channel.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: generate a uniform resource locator (URL) link based on the extracted text content; and include a selectable interface representing the URL link in the short message.
 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising: in response to the selectable interface being selected, launch a window to render the content associated with the URL link.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: receive a request to initially register using a phone number; and assign a proxy email address to a member associated with the phone number.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the generated short message is further based on the length of the email.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the engagement level is determined, using historical information, by calculating a percentage of user interaction with previous short messages sent through the same communication channel.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising: calculate a percentage of user interaction with previous short messages and the at least one communication channel; determine the percentage of user interaction fails to transgress a threshold; and select a different communication channel to send the short message.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the different communication channel has an engagement level that exceeds the engagement level associated with the at least one communication channel.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one communication channel is a push notification, instant messenger, or short message service.
 10. A method comprising: receiving, at a proxy email address, an email directed to a user with a proxy email address assigned by the system and with no registered email address; ascertaining whether or not the email contains an action message identifier; based on the email containing an action message identifier, identifying the email as a forward email; extracting text content from the forward email; generating a short message based on the extracted text content, the generating being performed by at least one processor of a machine; selecting at least one communication channel to send the short message based on an engagement level associated with the at least one communication channel; and causing presentation of the short message at a mobile device associated with the user via the selected at least one communication channel.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: generating a uniform resource locator (URL) link based on the extracted text content; and including a selectable interface representing the URL link in the short message.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: in response to the selectable interface being selected, launching a window to render the content associated with the URL link.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving a request to initially register using a phone number; and assigning a proxy email address to a member associated with the phone number.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the generated short message is further based on the length of the email.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the engagement level is determined, using historical information, by calculating a percentage of user interaction with previous short messages sent through the same communication channel.
 16. The method of claim 10, further comprising: calculating a percentage of user interaction with previous short messages and the at least one communication channel; determining the percentage of user interaction fails to transgress a threshold; and selecting a different communication channel to send the short message.
 17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising: receiving, at a proxy email address, an email directed to a user with a proxy email address assigned by the system and with no registered email address; ascertaining whether or not the email contains an action message identifier; based on the email containing an action message identifier, identifying the email as a forward email; extracting text content from the forward email; generating a short message based on the extracted text content; selecting at least one communication channel to send the short message based on an engagement level associated with the at least one communication channel; and causing presentation of the short message at a mobile device associated with the user via the selected at least one communication channel.
 18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise: generating a uniform resource locator (URL) link based on the extracted text content; and including a selectable interface representing the URL link in the short message.
 19. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request to initially register using a phone number; and assigning a proxy email address to a member associated with the phone number.
 20. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise: calculating a percentage of user interaction with previous short messages and the at least one communication channel; determining the percentage of user interaction fails to transgress a threshold; and selecting a different communication channel to send the short message. 